Pedal actuated means for pianos for operating simultaneously two keys



1936- s. R. BRETT 2,039,518

PEDAL ACTUATED MEANS FOR PIANOS FOR OPERATING SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO KEYS Filed Aug. 27, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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BY WMHZMM y 1936. s. R. BRETT 2,039,518

- PEDALACTUATED MEANS FOR PIANOS FOR OPERATING SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO KEYS Filed Aug. 27, 1934 2 Shee ,s$heei 2 i Fzg.2.

17\ '16 19\ 21 14 15 /w A L 22 I L1 //v MENTOR Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PEDAL ACTUATED MEANS FOR PIANOS FOR OPERATING SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO KEYS Stanley Reginald Brett, London, England Application August 27, 1934, Serial No. 741,636 In Great Britain August 28, 1933 2 Claims. (Cl. 84-426) This invention has reference to improvements bracket has a tongue I9, punched inwards to in pedal actuated means for pianos for operating which the loop I5 is hooked. simultaneously two keys. The other end of the lever I4 is provided with It is known to employ strings or cords which an aperture 20 within which a rod 2| rests; a 5 at one end are connected to a pedal and after stop washer or the like 22 is provided near the passing through eyelets or over a series of pulleys end of the rod 2| to prevent the letter pp said cords are connected to the two keys that on oug ThiS rOd Slides V c y in holes p actuation sound an octave, but owing to the vided in the upright arm of the bracket l'l. At method of employing the eyelets or pulleys the the top of the rod 2| I secure a felted buffer 23 cords are subjected to such considerable wear which raises the back end of the usual piano key 10 that they have been known to break even arter 24 and thereby Causes the note t0v be Struck, quite moderate use. which takes place when the pedal 3 is depressed. Further, it has been found necessary to employ The cord 1 which passes over the pulley H, springs in order to overcome the resistance of Operates in a simi ar manner to and simultanethe cords, pulleys and connected mechanism to ously With the 00 d bu it Op ates the note return them to their normal positions when the which is the octave of that opera y the related pedal is released and this also involves a cord 6. defect in that it renders the production of rapid S W ll be S en the ho izontal levers l4 Susrepetition (as required by modern organ music) p d y e looped cords are l d b o and legato touch ver diflicult. Also the springs nd in he sam v i p n s h ir r l d 20 involve delicate adjustment in order that all the piano keys, and that the parts 0f the cords notes of the whole series (about 42 at the lower attached to the levers I4 are also in that plane, or bass end of the piano) to which the devices so that there is an almost frictionless mechanism are applied may be sounded at equal strength or which is not in any Welly interfered h by the 25 softness without requiring the player to press Vertical rods 2| that transmit upward movement 25 either harder or less hard on some of the pedals fr m the rear ends of the levers M to the rear in order to produce the desired effect. ends of their related piano keys. Further on the The object of my invention is to obviate these a t the pedal W h has b epressed is defects. released, the vertical rods 2| descend, by gravity,

My invention is illustrated diagrammatically in to release the related keys (which also resume the accompanying drawings in which: their normal positions by the action 0f v y) Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a piano (with the s ha v y r p d repetition is made possiblebottom panel removed) showing only the keys Then again the cushions on the top Of the rods 2| (about 42 t t mover or bass end t which my together with the practically frictionless mechainvention is applied 2 is an emarged nism referred to ensure perfectly silent operation on line 22 of Fig. 1. tion. Also in the complete mechanism no cord I provide ordinary spring controlled organ is subjected to more than two bends and as the pedals 3 and tt t each of t Strings or related pulleys or rollers 8, 9, and In are in widely I cords 4. To these cords I attach an adjustable Separated horizontal p a the Co s a ot hook or t like 5 To t hook I loop cord, subjected to more than very inconsiderable wear.

forming two cords 6 and 1. These cords 6 and The Whole mechanism is V Simple in con- 1 the pass over a pair of pulleys 8, 9, su rt d struction and can easily be fitted in position. on a bar l2. The cord 6 then passes to another What I claim is: pulley In upported on screw 26 located b 1. A pedal device for pianos comprising a series r tween two bars 13. This screw is provided at its of pedals, one for each piano key of a series of 0 end with a nut 28, by use of which the pulley is k ys, a si l series of parallel, p v d k yadjusted or fixed in any desired position. Immeactuating levers all of the same length, there diately above this pulley is a. lever M to which being one lever for each of said piano keys and the cord 6 is attached. This lever I4 is pivoted each lever being located directly below and parat or about its centre by means of a looped cord allel with the corresponding key, a connection l5. Above the lever I4 I provide two bars l6 between each lever and the corresponding key and to these I mount a bracket l1, and clamp by which rocking movement of the lever actuthis bracket to the desired position on the bars ates the key, and a flexible connection between by tightening the nut l8. The bottom of the each pedal and both the lever for the key cor- 55 responding to said pedal and the lever for the octave of said key.

2. A pedal device for pianos comprising a series of pedals, one for each piano key of a series of keys, a single series of parallel, pivoted, keyactuating levers all of the same length, there being one lever for each of said piano keys and each lever being located directly below and parallel with the corresponding key, a connection between each lever and the corresponding key by which rocking movement of the lever actuates the key, a flexible connection between each pedal and both the lever for the key corresponding to said pedal and the lever for the octave of said key, two direction pulleys for each flexible connection arranged so that the portion of each connection leading from each pedal to a direction pulley and leading from a lever to a direction pulley extend in a vertical direction.

STANLEY REGINALD BRETT. 

